Taste of Fall - Apples

The cooler weather brings a whole new menu to the table. Apples are a favorite all year round, but we especially think of them in fall. Americans eat, on the average, about 65 apples a year, and the red and yellow Delicious apples are the most popular. Those are followed by Gala, Fuji, and Granny Smith. There are over 2500 varieties of apples grown in the U.S., and 100 varieties are grown commercially. No wonder its hard to make a choice in the grocery store!

Apples are not only good, they are good for us. One medium apple only has 80 calories and is high in fiber - 5 grams. Last year (before the drought), we had a good apple crop in Kansas. Several of my friends had extra apples to give away and with some of those I made Apple Butter. This is much preferred in our family over the purchased choices and easy to make in the microwave oven. I freeze it in half-pint plastic freezer containers and we enjoy it for months later.

Microwave Apple Butter (makes about 4 cups)
8 cooking apples, cored and quartered
1 cup apple cider
3/4 cup (or less) sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
Wash apples and cut into four pieces and core. Combine with cider in a two-quart glass bowl; cover. MW on high for 6 minutes, stirring twice during cooking. Place apples in a blender and process until smooth and return to glass bowl.
Stir in sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. MW uncovered on high for 10 minutes, or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
Store in refrigerator for up to two weeks or freeze in small containers.

Earlier this fall, Southern Living magazine had a delicious looking Apple bundt cake on the cover. I made it and it was just as delicious as it looked! So much in fact, that it was eaten before I got a photo, so the picture here is from the September issue of Southern Living, who also gets the credit for the recipe.

Apple Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

CREAM CHEESE FILLING:

• 1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• APPLE CAKE BATTER:
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups peeled and finely chopped Gala apples (about 1 1/2 lb.)
• PRALINE FROSTING:
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Preparation

1. Prepare Filling: Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended and smooth. Add egg, flour, and vanilla; beat just until blended.

2. Prepare Batter: Preheat oven to 350º. Bake pecans in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through. Stir together 3 cups flour and next 7 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in eggs and next 3 ingredients, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in apples and pecans.

3. Spoon two-thirds of apple mixture into a greased and floured 14-cup Bundt pan. Spoon Cream Cheese Filling over apple mixture, leaving a 1-inch border around edges of pan. Swirl filling through apple mixture using a paring knife. Spoon remaining apple mixture over Cream Cheese Filling.

4. Bake at 350º for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 2 hours).

5. Prepare Frosting: Bring 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and 3 Tbsp. milk to a boil in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly; boil 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar until smooth; stir gently 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture begins to cool and thickens slightly. Pour immediately over cooled cake.

German Beef Rolls

One of the things we liked about the food on our cruise through Germany was that there was a lot of beef served. However, when COOL (county of origin label) was told, it was Argentina. One of my favorites was the beef rolls, and I knew if it was good with Argentina beef, it would be great with Kansas beef! A recipe search and a few modifications, and this is a keeper. I even served mashed potatoes and gravy with it, guaranteeing it's success!

I used minute (or round) steaks that I have our processor cut into thin slices and tenderize. I like this cut for stir-fry, stroganoff, and many recipes that one might use 'chicken fingers' for. You could also use slices of roast, freeze slightly so it can be sliced thin. I also changed the traditional preparation to use pickle relish instead of a whole pickle spear. I always have pickle relish on hand, useful for deviled eggs, potato salad, as well as hamburgers.

Here is my adaptation of the recipe:

GERMAN BEEF ROLLS STUFFED WITH BACON & VEGETABLES

2 lb. minute steak (1 package)

3-4 slices bacon

½ onion

carrots

pickle relish

sweet-hot mustard

2 Tablespoons butter

½ red wine (or water)

2 ½ cups beef broth

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Peel carrots and cut into strips about 2 – 2 ½ inches long. Cut onion in half and slice vertically to make strips about 2 inches long.

Lay meat flat and cover with plastic wrap. Pound to make each section flatter and larger. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Spread mustard thinly on each piece. Add pickle relish, carrot strips and onion to each, arranging in a line across the length of the beef.

Roll the beef up crosswise as tightly as possible. It helps to secure it with toothpicks as you roll it and tuck the ends in. Use butcher’s string to tie at 1-inch intervals to make a long log shape. Set remaining carrots and onion aside.

Heat half of the butter in a large cast iron skillet or heavy skillet or pan over high heat. Brown half the meat bundles on all sides and set the rolls aside. Add the rest of the butter and brown the other half, set aside. Transfer rolls to an ovenproof heavy roasting pan. Add left over carrot and onion to the pan and sauté until the onion is golden, about 3 – 5 minutes.  Pour in the wine (or ½ cup beef broth). Stir the bottom of the pan to loosen browned bits and incorporate them into the sauce. Add onion, carrot and wine sauce to the beef rolls. Add rest of liquids to cover beef rolls.

Braise (uncovered ) for 1 ½ - 2 hours or until the meat is tender but not falling apart. Carefully lift the rolls out of the dish and keep warm.

Prepare the gravy by straining the cooking liquid and discarding the solids. Measure 1 cup of cooking broth and add ¼ cup flour to it and whisk vigorously.  Put the rest of the cooking liquid into a pan and bring to a simmering boil, you should have about 2 cups, or cook to reduce until it measures about 2 cups. Carefully pour the flour/broth mixture into the sauce and let cook for 5 – 10 minutes to make gravy.

Remove strings from beef rolls and slice horizontally into serving pieces. Serve with a drizzle of gravy.  Mashed potatoes with parsley and peas go well with this meal.

Garnished!

We recently took a European River Cruise - the best of cruising and touring in my opinion. Of course, one of the special things about a cruise is the food. Our 5-star ship did not disappoint! Although on this smaller ship food choices were not as extensive as a large ship where several buffets and different types of restaurants are offered besides the dining room, what was served in the dining room was fantastic.

The presentations of the plated meals that were served for each dinner and many lunches were works of art. Many were enhanced with garnishes. Wikipedia says garnishes are "an item or substance used as a decoration or embellishment and often a flavor to compliment the food or drink". Garnishes make the food more visually appealing and may enhance the color or taste (although many garnishes are not eaten).

Garnishes don't have to be elaborate, or do we need to be a 5-star chef to use them. Many are simple, such as a stream of sauce swirled on the plate under a piece of cake, a sprig of herb atop the vegetable, or mint leaves  tucked into the edge of the food. Citrus strips can be curled or knotted, citrus slices add color and flavor to beverages. Vegetable (carrots, cucumbers or zucchini) strips can be curled, and don't forget radish 'fans'. Bell peppers are colorful additions of red, green or yellow and can be cut into small shapes with tiny cutters or freehanded. Chocolate is always a tasty addition. Make chocolate curls from a chilled bar of chocolate with a vegetable peeler, dip fruits in melted chocolate or add chocolate shapes that are piped or molded.

Here are pictures of some of the lovely garnished foods we were served, and they were delicious too!

Lemon white wine cream with merenque and berries.
Notice the mint leaves, browned meringue and accents of berries. 

Fried Trout on warm German potatoe salad with sauce remoulade.
Interesting how they placed the trout on top of the potato salad, this was done in several presentations-meat of the entree on the vegetable, easy to eat 'European style' (fork in left hand, knife in right  hand). 

Shrimps cocktail with iceberg letture.
Plus a sprig of rosemary(?), cherry tomato, and endive leaf. 

Creme caramel and almond panna cotta with fresh fruits.
The swirl of strawberry sauce under the dessert would be easy to do, it really adds to the presentation on the white plate. 

Melted chocolate cake with almond panna cotta and fresh fruits.
The use of small serving bowls is becoming popular for 'sample' size servings of several foods. Molten chocolate cake is a cruise ship speciality! I've found a good recipe - topic for another blog! Isn't the fork outline with dusted cocoa cute? 

Whole marinated roastbeef, with green beans, stuffed potato and Marsala sauce.
See the meat on top of the vegetables again? I tried the sprig of rosemary in stuffed potatoes with my family this weekend - you don't want to hear the comments! 

Collecting Cookbooks

I’ve collected cookbooks for years, first more as a professional reference than a personal guide. A few years ago when a relative lamented that her well loved copy of a 1970’s Better Homes and Gardens cookbook had fallen apart, I pulled out my pristine copy and gave it to her.

I view recipes as a fashion trend much like home décor or clothing. The recipes in cookbooks from 30 years ago don’t sound as appealing as new fresh ideas with today’s popular foods. There are a few exceptions for long-loved family favorites, but generally I’m not a roast-mashed-potatoes-gravy sort of cook (much to my husband’s dismay).

Everyone seems to have a stash of cookbooks, but I’d like to recommend one more. The Eureka United Methodist Church Women have just published a nice spiral bound collection of favorites. It includes recipes from many of the church’s members like Susie P (know for her cinnamon rolls), Deb D (a culinary-schooled former professional chef), Peggy B (lots of State Fair blue ribbons), and Vernadine S (the kitchen chair and also a good cook). I even added a few recipes.

One of the favorites out of our church kitchen is UMW’s Party Potatoes (also known as Funeral Dinner Potatoes). Its similar to many other recipes, but somehow, this one just tastes better!

UMW’s Party Potatoes

2 lb. hash browns, thawed

1 ½ (15-oz) cans cream of chicken soup

1 (16-oz) carton sour cream

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

1/3 cup butter

3 cups crushed corn flakes

¼ cup butter, melted

Mix hash browns, soup, sour cream, salt, pepper, 1/3 cup butter and cheddar cheese. Pour into baking dish. Mix the 3 cups of crushed corn flakes with ¼ cup melted butter. Sprinkle on top of hash brown mixture. Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 – 1 ½ hours or until bubbly.

Don’t forget to stop by the United Methodist Church in Eureka or see a UMW member to get your copy of the cookbook! 

In A Jam

When I was growing up we never had store-bought jams or jellies, but after my mom was gone, I’d gotten pretty used to Smucker’s and others. However, a couple of years ago, with supplies of fruit from a Colorado peach farm truck that comes through the area in August and the boxes of Oregon frozen fruit from our church orders, I decided to try my hand at homemade jams. Now they’re a favorite and we don’t buy many jars at the store.

I think jams are the easiest to make and you get to use all the fruit without straining out the fiber so you get a bigger yield, and you do get a bit more nutrition. Jam is made from crushed or chopped fruits so it isn’t clear and firm like jelly and doesn’t contain small whole fruits like preserves, but is a semi-firm sweet spread. I also like to use recipes that include commercial pectin as the gelling substance; I have better luck getting a good gel. Commercial pectin comes in liquid and powdered forms and both give good results, but the methods of adding them and amounts of ingredients differ, so they are not interchangeable.

Find a good sounding recipe and follow it closely. This is not the time to be original! Sweet Spreads use a lot of sugar and the temptation is to reduce this, but don’t! The sugar is required for the recipes in order to gel and preserve the spread. If you’re cutting back on calories, just use less of the jam on your toast.

The other thing to follow closely is equipment and instructions. Use standard canning or jelly jars, not those saved from a commercial product. They should be sterilized before use and free of any chips. Used carefully and stored well, they can be reused for years (the ones I’m unpacking now are wrapped in newspaper from 1989).  Always use new flats (lids). Rings (the screw part) can be reused if they don’t become rusty.  All sweet spreads (jams, jellies, preserves, etc) should be processed in a water-bath canner for the recipe’s required time. (no more sealing with canning wax. I remember as a child that it was a special treat to open a new jar and get to lick the jelly off the wax)

The best reference for all canning, including jams, is the National Center for Home Food Preservation out of University of Georgia’s Extension Service. The website is www.uga.edu/nchfp.

Here are a couple of jam recipes I’ve done this summer that we will enjoy all winter:

Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam

Ingredients:

4 ¼ cups diced rhubarb

4 ¼ cups sliced fresh strawberries

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 (1.75-oz) packages powdered fruit pectin

½ teaspoon butter (optional)

10 cups white sugar

12 half-pint canning jars with lids and rings

            (this recipe made 14 half pints for me)

Directions:

1.     Place rhubarb, strawberries, lemon juice, fruit pectin, and butter into a large kettle over medium heat. (Butter is optional but helps keep jam from getting too foamy). Stir the fruit mixture to help the juice start to form, and add sugar, about 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved and the juice is starting to simmer. Turn up heat to medium-high, bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, and cook and stir for 1 minute. Skim off any foam that forms.

2.     Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. With a jelly funnel and a soup ladle, pack the jam into the hot, sterilized jars, filling the jars to within ¼ inch of the top. Run a plastic knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids, and screw on rings.

3.     Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water (I like to use my big spaghetti cooker) Bring to a boil over high heat, then carefully lower the jars into the pot using a holder. Leave a 2-inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary until the water level is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a full boil, cover the pot, and process for 5 minutes.

4.     Remove the jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. To help the jam set, don’t move or touch the jars until cooled. Once cool, lightly press the top of each jar with a finger, to check that the seal is tight (lid should be concave and not move up or down). Store in a cool, dark area.

Peach Jam

Ingredients:

1 quart finely chopped, pitted peaches

7 ½ cups sugar

¼ cup lemon juice

1 pouch liquid pectin

Directions:

Combine fruit, sugar and lemon juice in a large saucepot. Bring slowly to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Stir in liquid pectin. Return to a rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle hot jam into hot jars leaving ¼-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling-water bath (count time after water returns to a boil).

            This recipe is from the Ball Blue Book and is a little shorter on instructions because the book includes general directions for processing. But you should follow all the recommended steps.

Favorite Brownies

Everyone seems to love chocolate - and brownies are one of the favorite chocolate tastes. Brownies are a quick bar cookie to make and can vary from cake-like texture to fudgelike. This recipe is a good balance between the drier cake type and the moist dense fudge type.


Brownies are a "made in USA" food, originating in the United States in the early 1900's. No one knows for sure when and how they came to be, but a popular story is that a cook forgot to put some of the baking powder in her chocolate cake. Many of the best recipes come to be by mistake! Brownies got their name from cartoon elves that were popular at that time (as did the Kodak Brownie camera).

I like this recipe because its quick and tasty. It makes a large batch, great for taking to family or covered dish dinners. They also freeze well, if you can get them that far! The recipe was from Taste Of Home, and I get frequent requests for it after I've taken them to a dinner.

Chocolate Chip Brownies

1 cup butter, softened

3 cups sugar

6 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 ¼ cups all purpose flour 

½ cup baking cocoa

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips (I use less)

1 cup (6 oz) vanilla or white chips (I use less)

1 cup chopped walnuts (I use a couple of handfuls of chopped pecans)

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; stir into creamed mixture just until blended (do not over-mix).

Pour into two greased 9-in. square baking pans. (I use a large 12x17 inch pan). Sprinkle with chips and nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool.

Yield: 36 - 38 brownies. 

Very Berry Pie

Ummmm, summer fruits. The strawberries have been good so long this summer that I can't seem to pass the 3 packages for $5 without picking up more. So I've prepared them in many ways - favorites, new recipes, and old favorites. One of my old favorites we like that I've tried variations with this summer is a refrigerator pie.

This is good with the basic recipe, and also with adding blueberries. That made an especially colorful pie that would be great for patriotic holiday meals. The next thing I'm trying is with fresh peaches (mum, fresh peaches from the Texas niece) and peach jello. A good way to 'taste the season'.

Strawberry Shortbread Pie

¾ cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 ½ cups water

1 package (3 oz) strawberry gelatin

4 cups sliced fresh strawberries

1 shortbread crust (9 inches) (or your own favorite one-crust recipe, mine comes rolled in a box!)

In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and water until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in gelatin until dissolved. Transfer to a bowl. Chill until partially set. Place berries in crust; pour gelatin mixture over berries. Cover; refrigerate until set.